Online Sports Desk
While captains who lead their country to triumphs in major ICC events see their careers hit new highs, that has not been the case for Suryakumar Yadav after leading India to the 2026 T20 World Cup. The former India captain admitted the time after the tournament has been difficult for him as he lost his spot in the team but revealed that the birth of his daughter was crucial in shifting his focus.
In fact, the final against New Zealand at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium in March proved to be the 36-year-old’s final game (so far) for the national team. In the team’s next assignment, Suryakumar was stripped of captaincy and dropped from the team after an extended run of poor form with the bat, with Shreyas Iyer replacing him in the top job.
“See, post the T20 World Cup win, it has been a little difficult. I don’t want to run away from that fact. If you are not honest with yourself, it is very difficult to lead a happy life. So, to be very honest, it has been very difficult. During the IPL, I was blessed with a baby girl in May. So, the focus shifted completely towards her. The last few months, since she was born, have been very beautiful. But the first two months after the IPL were difficult,” said Suryakumar Yadav during a Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) event celebrating the T20 Mumbai League on Tuesday (November 10).
The former India captain revealed that a chat with his wife helped him get back in shape, and he started to focus on bringing his love and passion for the sport back. He claimed his focus is now on helping his state team Mumbai, win matches after being named their captain for the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which will start on November 14. The competition will mark Suryakumar’s return to professional cricket for the first time since the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) ended.
“Then I thought, why not go back to thinking about how I was before? How I started my cricket journey, when all I wanted was to play age-group cricket for Mumbai and go on to represent Mumbai in first-class cricket. I sat down and started discussing all these things with my wife. She said the same thing: I think you need to bring back the love and passion for the game that you had when you were a 15-year-old kid who wanted to represent Mumbai in the Under-15 age group,” said Suryakumar.
“So that’s what I started thinking about. And I am following the same approach now that I did 10-15 years ago — training again and pursuing the same passion and love for the game. Everything is back to normal now.When you start thinking that way and focus on playing the sport, you want to do well for your team and your family. Things change completely. And that’s what I am doing right now. The main goal is what I used to think about earlier: win games for Mumbai and win the championship for Mumbai,” Suryakumar concluded.
